Robin was still not talking to her, and she hadn't realized how much she enjoyed his company until he had disappeared from her life. Dick stopped tutoring her, and he avoided her in the hallways and at lunch. Barbara was torn between her two best friends, often leaving them both for the library, so she didn't have to pick sides. Rob was never at the mountain anymore, and she missed him. A lot.

She was at her locker when a hand touched her lower, lower back. She went rigid, and then turned to glare at Brian. "I thought I told you to stay away from me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Artemis. I told you I was sorry."

She slammed her locker. "You tried to rape me," she spat. They couldn't exactly put him in prison for nearly assaulting her, (Wally had almost killed him, which was hard enough to cover up), and she didn't want to make a big fuss at school, so after two months of juvie and counseling, he decided to show his face again.

"Come on," he whispered, putting his hands on either side of her, boxing her in against the lockers. She had a sudden flashback to that night and shuddered.

"Get away from me."

Suddenly Dick was at her side; his presence seemed to disturb the athlete. "Get lost, Levitt. Or you can schedule another doctor appointment to get my foot out of your ass."

Brian sneered, but he walked away. As he turned, Artemis realized his nose never seemed to set back in place after that night.

Dick's hand was on her arm. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. God she missed his voice. "I just really, really want to beat the hell out of him."

He seemed to relax and then bit his lip. "Look, I—"

"Dick. I'm sorry. Wally and I should have told you."

He sighed, smiling at her. "Do you need any help with your calculus homework?"

She laughed, letting out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Do you really need to ask?"

It was so easy for things to fall back into place.

That's how it was with Dick.

He didn't waltz around the topic of her leaving. He asked her about it. He talked to her, and she loved him for it.

"I think I just want to get away from it all. I want to live for me for once, you know?" she said. "Maybe that's selfish. Maybe a hero's supposed to live for other people…"

Dick shook his head. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm only Batman's shadow. Not his partner. And sometimes I just don't want to be Robin anymore. I want to be my own person. That's what it means to grow up, right? I think you should do what you want to do. Go to college. Live normally. Then see what happens."

He popped an oreo in his mouth, and she smiled at him. "Dick?"

"Hm?"

"You're my best friend."

He raised his eyes behind his bangs. "I am?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And I want you to know that just because I'm leaving for a little while doesn't mean I won't keep in touch."

His eyes pinched with his smile, and he nudged her with his head. "I couldn't get rid of you even if I wanted, Mis."

"Oh?"

"You've become that voice in my head."

"Really."

He shut his book. "Yep. The one that makes sarcastic remarks about everything and somehow convinces my conscience that I don't need to do any more homework."

"That's funny," Artemis laughed, "Because you've become a voice in my head too. The voice of a dual-identity troll that thinks it's funny to replace all my arrows with fake cupid ones from the dollar store."

"Come on that was the best prank ever and you know it."

She punched him.

Next chapter's posted :)